Page 64 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

I reached up and yanked the beta who’d attacked Trinket back. I’d only meant to carry him a few feet away but wound up throwing him into the wall. He slid down the surface and landed on his ass. I offered no apology and walked to Wendall’s side.

“That”—I pointed at Trinket—“is something you don’t want to mess with, Alpha Belview. Had Wendall not pulled her back, she would have ripped half your face off with one chomp.”

Arie scoffed. “She would never have gotten close enough. She would have been slaughtered first.”

Wendall gasped, and I glared before my gaze slid to the beta wolf still lying on the floor. To my knowledge, Arie hadn’t even glanced in his direction. “If that unlikely event had taken place, the life of the one responsible would be immediately forfeit. Trinket is a gift from the land of Fairy, and we do not take kindly to one of our own beingslaughtered.”

Arie’s jaw painfully tightened, and a tick formed in his cheek. With his arms crossed over his chest, his beefy build strained the fabric of his bespoke suit. A low, amber glow emanated from his eyes as our gazes met. I didn’t flinch and returned the glare, allowing my fire to burn bright.

Looking away first, Arie’s attention shifted to the easier target—Wendall. He ran his gaze up and down Wendall’s body as if he were goods for sale. “Something is very right and very wrong with that zombie. Tell me”—Arie leaned an elbow on the table, placing his body closer to Wendall—“when were you reanimated? Even if it doesn’t last as long as a typical zombie, I might find you useful.”

“Useful? What in the hell does that mean? I don’t work for you.” Wendall sounded confused and outraged all at once.

Arie just shrugged and rolled a dismissive hand through the air. “Not you in particular. I assume Muriel is your maker, and if she did it once, then she can do it again.”

Wendall frowned and answered, “Doubtful.”

“Exactly what I said, only I believe I was a bit more forceful regarding the situation.” I placed my hand on the small of Wendall’s back and was rewarded when he pushed back into my touch.

Trinket was still in his arms, hissing and spitting her fury. At that moment, I would have given anything to place Trinket and Alpha Sedrick Voss together in a challenge ring with Arie Belview. Watching the two of them rip Arie to shreds would be fine entertainment indeed. Perhaps we could even sell tickets to the event. We could donate the money to all those Arie had wronged over the previous decades.

Arie’s grin was placating. “You’ll forgive me if I do not take your word for it.”

“That is about the only thing I would be willing to forgive,” I easily answered. “If you wish to waste your time and dignity, then please, by all means, approach Muriel with your…proposal. I will enjoy hearing the priestess recount the details of your meeting.”

Wendall nodded. “Me too. Like Ray said, you can ask. She’ll tell you the same thing.”

The lack of care or doubt in Wendall’s voice made Arie hesitate. His mouth thinned, and his eyes lost their amber hue.

Arie’s growing disinterest was welcome. I didn’t want his greedy hands or mind anywhere near Wendall. I also didn’t like where Arie’s intentions clearly ran. If it were possible to create more zombies like Wendall, Arie Belview would find the priest or priestess who would take his money and create a nearly indestructible army. Weres could be reanimated, although from what I understood, it took more energy, and their aggressive behavior was more trouble than it was worth. If Arie could control them better, he’d slaughter his own pack to get what he wanted. As it was, only humans were routinely turned into zombies.

I caught Johnny’s eyes through a break in the crowd. The faun looked ready to leap over the bar and barrel through Dusk’s patrons. I gave a discrete headshake, which he accurately interpreted and eased down.

It appeared as if Arie was getting ready to leave when something even more tempting caught his eye.

“We need to speak.” Aurelia suddenly appeared at my side. Her flannel hung off one shoulder, exposing sections of inked skin. “Something’s changed.”

Change wasn’t always bad. In the case of Arthur Stover, I doubted it would be anything pleasant.

Arie rose, eyes wide with their amber glow back in full force. He pushed his recovered beta to the side and took two steps closer. His nose twitched with renewed interest, and his jaw hung slightly slack.

“It can’t be.” He licked his lips as his gaze rapidly darted up and down the length of Aurelia’s petite form. “They don’t exist anymore. It’s only a myth.”

Aurelia’s Caribbean blue eyes glanced Arie’s way, and her mouth twisted with obvious disgust. “Wolf,” she said with more than a hint of distaste. “Your aura reeks.”

Arie either didn’t care or didn’t hear her words. He stared, gaze fixated on the tattoos covering nearly every inch of Aurelia’s body. Most of them were covered, but it wasn’t difficult to understand the ink was there.

“Djinn,” Arie said with awe. “I’ve heard the stories but assumed…” He licked his lips and looked for all the world like a human child on Christmas morning. Arie’s arm rose, his fingers stretching forward.

“Don’t,” Aurelia commanded. I’d never heard her voice so ice cold. “You are not my master, and even if you were, you would not be allowed to touch me.” It was one of Aurelia’s restrictions. In this case, it wasn’t so much a restriction as a gift.

Arie’s hand dropped as if he’d been physically slapped.

“You have a master?” Arie’s gaze snapped between me and Wendall. I was tempted to lie and claim ownership.

Wendall’s conscience beat me to the fib. “It’s not us,” he protested while sounding genuinely appalled by the very idea.

I could almost see the wheels of Arie’s mind working. Holding a djinn’s leash would offer untold possibilities. I had no idea if a djinn could break a pixie bond, but I’d bet my life that would be Arie Belview’s first wish. I couldn’t imagine it being one of Aurelia’s, or any djinn’s, restrictions. What witch would have even considered anyone wanting to do something like that?

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